‘This is strange’: Suspect attacked man with hammer for online gaming after flying from New Jersey to Florida

NASSAU COUNTY, Florida – A 20-year-old man was arrested after authorities say he boarded a plane and flew from New Jersey to Florida to attack a man with whom he had gotten into an argument over an online game.

“It’s a funny thing,” said Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper. “Some things make you say ‘hmmm.’ Some things you just can’t make up.”

Leeper said officers were called to a Fernandina Beach home around 2 a.m. Sunday after receiving a call about a fight between two people.

“They discovered a significant amount of blood in the entryway of the house and in the victim’s bedroom,” Leeper said.

The victim’s stepfather told authorities that he woke up to cries for help and found his stepson lying on the floor struggling with an attacker named Edward Kang.

Leeper said Kang entered the unlocked home and attacked the victim with a hammer.

The victim and his stepfather managed to disarm Kang and detain him until officers arrived.

Leeper said Kang and the victim had never met in person but were acquainted through the online game Archeage, a fantasy online game similar to World of Warcraft.

Investigators found that Kang told his family he was meeting up with a friend he had met years ago playing a video game. He then boarded a plane from Newark, New Jersey, to Jacksonville, Florida, where he took an Uber to a hotel in Fernandina Beach. He then went to an Ace Hardware store and bought a hammer and a flashlight.

Leeper said the victim was playing the game that night when he got up to go to the bathroom. He walked down the hall and opened the door. Kang was standing behind the door, holding the hammer in the air. He was dressed all in black, wearing gloves and a mask.

Both Kang and the victim were taken to hospital, where Kang was later released into police custody.

“The victim had some serious head injuries, but it does not appear to be life-threatening,” Leeper said.

Leeper said Kang told authorities he attacked the victim because he was a bad person on the internet.

“Additionally, the suspect asked our deputy how long one serves in prison for burglary and assault, and I would say, Mr. Kang, it will be a long time before you play video games again,” Leeper said.

Kang was charged with attempted premeditated murder.